


Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep

by NoisyNoiverns



Category: Mass Effect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 10:11:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7930723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoisyNoiverns/pseuds/NoisyNoiverns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Desolas visits Abrudas in the hospital after Shanxi, in a brief period of inactivity before his work at Temple Palaven begins. She isn't exactly happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep

**Author's Note:**

> all references to "valis" are abrudas. that's her first name

Desolas yawned, big and wide enough that he felt his jaw pop as he shifted in the uncomfortable hospital chair he’d dragged over to sit by the bed. He hadn’t mean to fall asleep, and he hadn’t expected to, either- not in a chair that felt like it had been deliberately designed to make its use as undesirable as possible, at least. His entire spine ached, and his shoulders popped loudly as he sat up.

In the bed, Valis grumbled at him. “Nice nap?” she asked dryly. Her mandibles still drooped from the painkillers, her eyes glazed over in an only-mostly-aware daze. The hand nearest Desolas limply held a remote, thumbclaw lazily pressing the channel change buttons as Desolas watched.

He turned his head to look at the vidscreen mounted on the wall. “Doubt it. Anything good?”

She heaved a sigh. “Asari soaps, hanar televangelists, the usual daytime crap. Not even airing any good kids’ shows right now. There was a nature documentary an hour ago, but it just made me want to hunt, so I stopped watching.”

Her subvocals wobbled, and Desolas thrummed his in sympathy. Valis’s leg had been nearly crushed on Shanxi; while the doctors were certain she’d walk again with reconstructive surgery, and were already halfway done with the most necessary procedures, a limp was unavoidable. She’d still be able to lead and go out in the field, but she’d be relegated to the more slow-moving main body of the attacks, rather than leading the charge like she preferred. And hunting, the instinct that sang in turian blood and had driven their society from before it could even be called such, was out of the question.

Desolas cast around for any sort of distraction, and his eyes alighted on a datapad lying discarded on the other side of Valis’s pelvis. “What’s that?”

She turned her head to follow his gaze, then haltingly picked up the pad and handed it to him. “Message from the army,” she said, mandibles flicking feebly. “I’m getting a promotion.”

He squinted at it, running a talon along the edge to find the brightness setting. Once it was a bit dimmer, he read aloud, “‘First Lieutenant Valis Abrudas: In recognition of your actions during engagement of the enemy on a hostile planet, hereby referred to as the Relay 314 Incident, and of skill and dedication to the Empire demonstrated under the command of Brigadier General Desolas Arterius and throughout your career, the Army of the Turian Hierarchy has deigned to promote you to the rank of Captain. Further details will be forthcoming. Glory to the Empire.’” He glanced at her and flicked a mandible. “So you’re getting a promotion. Is that not a good thing? I’m a general, remember, pick your words carefully.”

She snorted derisively. “I don’t deserve it. It’s a token. ‘Sorry you’ll never run again, here’s a new title to make you hush.’ They’re just trying to settle their own consciences.”

He hummed, deep and low, setting the datapad aside. “Would it help if I mentioned the promotional board was asking me to evaluate you for the next rank before we were ever assigned to that dismal planet?”

Valis considered, then sighed. “I suppose. Maybe a little. But, to be fair, sir, I’m pretty sure you might be biased.”

“Are you saying I can’t be trusted to keep who I’m commanding and who I’m dating separate?” he teased, stretching up to brush his crest beneath her chin. “Afraid your form will read ‘great in bed’?”

She jerked her chin down to knock him dizzy, but her chest shook with suppressed laughter. “’Recommended for promotion in recognition of how many times she made me beg for release,’ maybe,” she sneered, bumping him with her shoulder. “Maybe the board will decide we should switch places, since you like it when I tell you what to do.”

“Mm, there’s an idea.” He turned his head so he could nuzzle her neck. “Sooner you get out of here, sooner we can go back to my place and play with that.”

“Ah, ah, ah, don’t get me all excited,” she huffed, knocking her head against his again, another reproachful gesture, but softer than the last. “Stupid medical stuff makes it damn near impossible for me to even try to get myself off, and I doubt you know enough about biomed to try yourself without breaking anything.”

He exaggerated a sigh and leaned back. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll just have to think about it while I’m busy without you.”

Valis eyed him, mandibles trying to draw themselves up despite the painkillers keeping them slack. “I saw the news. What are you up to?”

He hummed and touched his nasal plates to her cheek ridge. “You’ll find out. But it’s going to make everything better. The way they should be.”

“Hmph. Sounds dangerous.” She lowered her brow plates. “Promise you’ll come back, Des. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

“ _Promise_ , Desolas.”

He hesitated, then caught the look in her eyes and sighed. He took one of her hands in both of his and rubbed the plates there with the pad of his thumb. “I’ll come back to you, Valis. I promise.”

She gave him a hard look for a long moment, scanning his eyes, then slowly sighed and settled back against the pillows, returning her attention to the vidscreen. “Thank you. Now do me a favor and go smuggle in some real food for me, would you? Best hospital in the Empire, and the room service still tastes like varren droppings, I swear…”

**Author's Note:**

> isn't it neat how abrudas survives m.e.: evolution and also how i can do whatever the fuck i want because bioware obviously didnt give enough of a shit to even show whether or not their first-ever visually depicted female turian was alive or not


End file.
